Red Bull: Max Verstappen one point away from race ban after F1 Spain clash. Max Verstappen is just one penalty point away from a race ban after the Spanish GP clash with Russell.

Max Verstappen, intentional contact with George Russell?
Did he do it on purpose or not? That’s the main question F1 fans are asking after the end of the 2025 Spanish GP, looking at Max Verstappen’s wheel-to-wheel contact with George Russell. It’s hard to give a definitive answer, even though some are taking a clear stance — definitely George Russell himself, but also Nico Rosberg, who immediately called for the Dutch driver’s disqualification after the race. And if the reigning world champion’s dismissive comments still leave some doubts, the FIA stewards appear to have none. In addition to the 10-second time penalty that dropped Verstappen from fourth to tenth, Max was handed three penalty points on his Super Licence. And this could become a serious problem for the rest of the season…

Now Max risks the shame of suspension
The Red Bull star is now seriously at risk of being hit with a sensational suspension from one of the upcoming races. It’s a situation that’s not entirely unprecedented, but almost: since the points-based Super Licence system was introduced in Formula 1 back in 2014, only Kevin Magnussen has ever reached the points limit and had to miss a race (the 2024 Azerbaijan GP, with Oliver Bearman stepping in at Haas). The difference now is that it’s Super Max — not just any driver — on the verge of a suspension, which would be shocking considering his stature and the fact that he remains one of the season’s top contenders, both in prestige and in his ongoing (at least formally) title challenge despite the setback in Barcelona.

Max Verstappen has only 1 point left on his Super Licence
With the three points deducted after the Spanish GP, Max Verstappen has now lost 11 of the 12 available points, meaning he is just one infraction — literally one more rule breach — away from a race ban. That’s a very real risk for the Red Bull champion throughout the entire month of June, covering the next two races in Canada and Austria. Verstappen will only recover two points on June 30, 2025 — the Monday following his near-home race at the Red Bull Ring — which were deducted last year due to the late-race contact with Lando Norris that handed victory to George Russell.

High risk at least until Interlagos
Even if Verstappen avoids further penalties in the next two races, he would still remain at risk of suspension for several more months. The FIA regulations state that penalty points are only returned one year after they are issued. Verstappen will regain his next two points only on October 27, 2025 — exactly 365 days after the penalty for forcing Lando Norris off the track in last year’s Mexican GP. So, even if Max commits no additional infractions through June, he would still have only 3 points remaining on his Super Licence until the final four rounds of the season (Brazil, Las Vegas, Qatar, and Abu Dhabi), when he would move back up to 5 points.